Week Of Action On Drink-Related Crime

Police in the Southampton, Eastleigh, Romsey and New Forest areas have started a week of action to tackle alcohol-related crime.

Police hope by doing so it will bring home the message of the harm alcohol can do when people don’t drink responsibly. Alcohol is known as a major factor in many crimes as well.

Local police, working closely with local councils and other partners like Street Pastors, will be involved in dozens of activities all this week as part of a national initiative.

These include:

- Having a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drunkenness in areas where there is a night time economy.

- Holding test purchases operations at off-licences and licensed across the area.

- Visiting pubs and, bars and clubs to check capacity, safety, noise levels, weights and measures etc in conjunction with the local authority.

- Joining with anti-social behaviour co-ordinators to crackdown on under-age drinking in parks and other public places. This will include confiscation, home visits and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) where needed.

- Working with partners at freshers weeks for Southampton’s two universities to promote responsible drinking.

Police Licensing Inspector for the police in the Western area is Justin Roberts. He said:

“The week of action will allow us to drive home the message of the dangers of alcohol, if people don’t behave responsibly while drinking. For some people it can end in a life changing or even life ending accident; for others it can mean a criminal record that can have a devastating effect on their lives. Then, of course, there are medical effects of drinking too much.“We would urge people to think about how much they are drinking and to drink responsibly. We don’t want to be dealing with people because they have drunk too much and been in a fight, hurt, had an accident or done something criminal. Not only does it affect their lives but those around them. It means we can’t be attending to other investigations or emergencies that need out attention.“We have the same message for those who sell alcohol. You have a responsibility to make sure you are only serving those of the right age and who aren’t drunk. Please make sure you do that and look after your customers. We will be checking and we will take action against those who don’t comply. It is pleasing to know that many, many businesses in our area do take this responsibility seriously, and we are sure they will continue to do so.”